Relational Psychoanalysis of Intrusive Thinking

This paper examines the phenomenon of involuntary intrusive thinking, including thoughts and images involving aggressive and violent behavior. These uncensored intrusions emerge from all levels of awareness: unconscious fantasies, the preconscious, and the conscious. I propose that exploring intrusive thinking in analysis can serve as an opening for richer examination of a patient’s inner world, since intrusive thinking is often an indication of underlying conflict. The clinical narrative follows the path of an analytic dyad negotiating their way through the treacherous territory of toxic stress and transmission of both intergenerational and transgenerational trauma, from father to son. Central to the discussion is the pronounced transference–countertransference imbedded in the analysis from the onset, and the relational approach that ultimately eased the relationship between analyst and patient, and offered a path toward resolution.